Time to get moving!

So, it was on the 6th of August, 2006 that I basically made the ‘deal’ on Constellation, and I’ve been more or less patiently waiting here in Berlin, working to pay for her. It’s been a really long eight months in some respects, but at the same time life has flown by, and I can’t believe we’re almost in May. When I first had this idea, I had planned to leave next month – Ha! But, at least I’m making efforts to launch by then, and this is where I make my move into the topic at hand: I’m going to live on the boat in just over a week!

It seemed that I could stay here, ’spinning my wheels’, or I could commit to a moving and see where it takes me. Since that decision, I am very close to [hopefully] organising office space, no less than 30metres from the boat, at a company that actually overlooks the marina. This means I can be near the boat, and also continue working. Being in the marina also opens up opportunities to crew and to learn as much as possible – I could stay here reading books for another couple of months, but really, you can only go so far.

I have some things to sort out here, namely paying the ‘kaution’ or ‘bond’ on the apartment, which is an unfortunate loss of €600.00, but alas, there is nothing I can do. I also need to figure out how to bring about 20 sailing books, mainsail, clothes and other assorted things on Easyjet without incurring excess baggage fees – €9/kg, no way! I will take the bus if I have to, but it’s a 24 hour ride, and actually costs more than the plane (go figure).

In about two weeks this blog will be awash with questions, and I’m hoping some sailors out there might be able to give me a hand. My plan thus far is to get the engine working, anti-foul the hull and make minor repairs on the rudder and replace the sacrificial anode. After that, the rest of the work can take place once she’s in the water. If anyone has any thoughts on things I must do before launch, I’d be most appreciative of any information.

nick!